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Elven Occupation of Sivia
The History of Elves in Sivia First Contact The first ships to cross the Lakshur Ocean to reach Sivia were sailed by elves. These elves came from the great nation of Azbot, the homeland of the elves. The original fleet sailed on the coin of the Orae, a prominent guild in the Azbot empire. The Gelrea and one other ship arrived in the waters around southern Sivia over a century before the first ships from Faulia ever sailed in Sivia's direction. When they first arrived, the two great elven galleons were not allowed access to the mainland. They were surrounded by small hobglin boats and constantly monitored while the tribes on shore deliberated about what to do with the newcomers. While the ships bobbed in Sivian waters for several weeks, the Hobgoblins ferried supplies and met with Oraean representatives, conducting basic communication as they began to learn one another's languages. Conduct was peaceful between the two people, of Orae and the Barkskin clan, and eventually the elves were allowed to dock one ship. That ship was cannibalized by the elven settlers to settle the first town in Sivia, which they affectionately named after the ship, Gelrea. The Barkskin people kept a watchful eye over the settling Oraean elves, bug Gelrea was a respectful community, eager to make what trade they could afford with their neighbors for necessary supplies. The Oba of the Barkskins believed that, in giving land to these outsiders, they were opening a gateway to new wealth from across the great water. This mentality spread through the Barkskin nation, which lead to careful control of Gelrea expansion, but also protective guarding of the elven people to insure their investment would be safe. Word eventually spread to their hated neighbors, the Tuura, who saw this act of harboring outsiders for potential gain as a threat to their nation. It is believed that this was the final straw that brought about the great Barkskin Tuura conflict. During the wars, Tuura warriors sacked and destroyed Gelrea, but because of the still-limited communication, most elves believed the attack to be a betrayal by the Barkskins, and returned to Azbot with bitter stories of violence and deceit. Azbot Invasion Less than a decade later, the elves returned to Sivia in force. The Orae guild, with support from several other groups, followed up their exploratory voyage with a massive fleet of ships bent on conquest of the disloyal people and wild lands of the east. In that decade, the Tuura had succeeded at claiming most of the lands and people of the Barkskins, aggressively stretching their warrior class across the lands, rushing the Barkskin people with their superior numbers of slaves. The Tuura were not prepared for the massive fleet. The Oraean army stormed over the southwestern coastline, killing all hobgoblin tyr and troll warriors that opposed them, and capturing those they could bring in alive. The elves brought supplies with them, allowing easy construction of stone fortifications with the help of their newfound slave labor. By the time any organized resistance came from the various tribes in the north, the elves were solidly fortified. After the initial wave, Orae sent several more waves of ships full of conquest-motivated elven warriors and settlers. Nearly all the land the Tuura had claimed from the Barkskins were in turn claimed by the elves. They claimed the Sun Crown from the Suncrown tribe, forcing the very traditional tyr people into servitude. Luckily for the trolls, only small populations of the Mahkoop were captured, as the elves did not care for the humid swamp jungles that the trolls called home. Time of Suffering After the initial invasion by the larger Oraean and elven fleets, settlements and strongholds formed. The elves founded two small cities and with the use of forcefully gathered slave labor, established mines and plantations to take the land and people for all they were worth. This era lasted for several decades, the elves creating roads and walls for their settlements, while the native people were pushed further and further north. During this time of elven expansion, the Suncrown nation had become completely enslaved to the elves. The Tidehoof nation collapsed into an ever decreasing number of independent tribes. The tribes, in their weakened and disorganized state, eventually succumbed to elven enslavement as well. Mahkoop also saw increased in efforts toward taking the greatly treasured troll slaves (because their regeneration allowed them to do very dangerous work). Relations between the elves and the Awnie Watchers were civil but cool. The grim tyr along the mountains edge allowed the elves free passage through their lands but tolerated no settlement attempts, which the elves respected only because it gave them space to easily travel north and settle forts and plantations along the borders of Awnie lands, creating outlets for expansion and invasion into the lands of Featherhorn, Lof, and Boneclaw. After violent conflicts between the Oraeans and the Lof people, the elves made their boldest and final mistake in Sivia. They marched for the conquest of Lof. The Sufferers Plague Near the end of the time of suffering, the Mahkoop people retaliated in a most unusual way. Because attempts at fighting back the elves failed, the trolls instead turned to their magics. Priests communed with their dark death gods for an answer, and they were given one quite potent. The trolls began selling their own as slaves to the local elven plantations, without those elves realizing that the sold trolls had been stricken with an awful plague. The Sufferer's Plague would, after a long period of uncomfortable but easily explained symptoms, would suffer immense pain and trauma from the illness before finally dying and raising as a zombie. This plague destroyed almost every elven settlement on the border to the south, creating a land blighted with the shambling dead between them and the conflicts of the northern people. Reclamation War The Oraeans marched the full force of their army through Awnie lands north to Lof. The Chieftain of Lof then did something very unconventional. He rallied his people as could be expected, but also sent a large number out to Listra and Boneclaw seeking aid against the elves. With a combination of the high ground on various fronts, successful ambushes and raids against elven camps and reinforcements, and conscription of local edgro clans, the united forces of Lof Bloneclaw and Listra turned the elven march back south. As the elves retreated back through Awnie lands, so too did the united forces go south. Lead by the charismatic and unusually strong faun Belray, massive numbers of hobgoblins and tyr answered the call to finally rid their ancient lands of the dispicable elves. Men and women of Rukshuup, Tuura, and Featherhorn joined the march. Every elven settlement was overrun and sacked. With the help of the edgro, fortresses fell, cities fell, and the elves were very forcefully, brutally, and absolutely pushed out of Sivia. The elves retreated, taking as many resources and slaves with them onto their ships as they could, and when possible cursed their abandoned fortifications so heavily that they could not be used by anyone for anything. Exodus For many years, the elves maintained forts on various islands off the coast of Sivia, to try and create new footing back on the main land. Unfortunately, after the heavy losses of both manpower and income, the Oraeans found themselves overextended. After several years of lesser skirmishes, the guild finally collapsed under the weight of its own considerable debt, and the elves fully retreated from Sivia. The conflict brought great unification to the people of Sivia. Tuura and Featherhorn are, to this day, two of the most prominent nations.